CAGAYAN DE ORO businesses stand to lose big if blackouts should continue, a top official of the Cagayan de Oro Chamber of Commerce and Industry Foundation, Inc (Oro Chamber) said.
Oro Chamber President Cerael Donggay said the continuing three to four-hour rotating blackouts have a negative effect on business establishments, increasing the costs of doing business.
“Dako kaayo og epekto kay halimbawa mga restaurant possible mag shut down, mga gabaligya og food ma-spoil kay mga gagamit og mga refrigeration for food preservation apektado kay walay kuryente,” Donggay said.
Donggay said a number of restaurant establishments without generators are being forced to close shop during blackouts because of loss of customers.
Donggay advised business owners to conserve energy while this dilemma persists.
“Hangyo lang nato sa mga negosyante nga samtang nagpadayon kini mag-save na lang sa ta kuryente ang mga appliances nga dili sa magamit mas maayo dili lang sa gamiton para maka-save,” Donggay said.
He said the 4-hour rotating blackouts could be brought down to three hours if people and establishments know how to conserve energy.
Donggay said the Oro Chamber has been consistently urging the government to find solutions to the perennial power shortage in Mindanao as well as in asking for updates and advisories from National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) and even from electric utilities such as the Cagayan de Oro Electric Power and Light Company (Cepalco).
“Dako baya ang power deficiency after sa bombing sa towers sa NGCP so ga-follow-up gyud mi sa ila kay basin posibleng mapadali ang pag-normalize sa kuryente,” Donggay said.
Donggay, however, believes the NGCP is doing what is supposed to be done and he calls for the military’s intervention for the safe rehabilitation of NGCP’s towers bombed by lawless elements.
Meanwhile, Cepalco is still implementing the 4-hour rotational blackouts as it released the latest load shedding schedule for November 1-3, 2015.
Cepalco’s senior manager customer & community relations department said in the advisory that actual switch off and switch on time may vary (but still within the announced time period) depending on the actual load curtailment levels set by NGCP on Cepalco, which changes every hour.
It said when load levels are within the allocation set by NGCP, CEPALCO may not affect any interruption at all.